Re: [ARSCLIST] Database template - Artist Instrumentation Project

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mona Jimenez" <mona.jimenez@xxxxxxx
> a database
> template I designed to describe electronic devices is now available for
downloading.> I encourage all those interested to try out the template and
please feel free to adapt it for your own purposes. It
> was designed with custom devices in mind, such as video synthesizers, but
will also work for commercial devices
> like video or audio recorders. Please note that the examples are meant to
be illustrative, rather than complete.
<snip>
> The template was designed in the software FileMakerPro and will run on Mac
and Windows machines. Download a
> free trail of FileMaker at http://www.filemaker.com/support/downloads/
> I look forward to your feedback --

Well, I can provide some feedback before I go much further. FileMaker,
although it
has its adherents (especially in the Apple world) is not a format which can
be
imported into other database applications (I don't know what the program can
import).
This means it is of limited untility if only for that reason.

The most accessible format for databases is xBASE (dBASE and other programs
which
use .dbf files). This format is admittedly wasteful of space, but MS Access
(the
most widely used database application) as well as many other programs can
import
the resulting tables. If FileMaker can convert to .dbf format, you might
save an
empty table as a .dbf file.

Steven C. Barr